Sainsbury’s is to buy 50 electric vans for its online grocery delivery service to add to its added to the existing fleet of 20.
The 3.5 tonne vans will be based at ten of Sainsbury’s London stores. They have been modified to meet Sainsbury’s requirements for urban online deliveries. Each vehicle is restricted to 40mph and has a range of 60 miles a day. The vans are also fitted with a fast charging system.
The vans will be responsible for 60 per cent of central London deliveries.
Neil Sachdev, Sainsbury’s commercial director, said: “We are absolutely committed to using zero emissions vehicles where possible as they help keep inner city air clean. Also, the electricity used to power them generates around 50 per cent less CO2 than diesel vans. This means that the addition of the new vans will reduce our road transport emissions by around 155 tonnes of CO2 each year.”
And Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: ”This is cracking news from Sainsbury’s which will help deliver to Londoners not only their groceries, but all the benefits of going electric such as cleaner air and fewer carbon emissions. It shows that a commitment to this technology even in leaner times, is good for businesses and great for our environment.”
This move follows the introduction of an electric recharge point network at Sainsbury’s stores in London earlier this month. The points are situated at ten stores around the city, allowing customers to charge their electric vehicles free of charge, while they shop.
